Sweet Rose
by Insanely Serene
Summary: She's nothing special, so why has a certain blonde taken an interest to her? Can a normal girl face the craziness of Ikebukuro? Or will it be too much to handle? - ShizuoxOC, OC-centric
1. New Beginnings

**Enjoy!**

**I don't own Durarara! But the OCs are mine.  
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* * *

**All five men stare at her cunningly. It is night in Ikebukuro, making her regret her decision of going through the dark alley. She had to; it was the only way to her job to which she had recently been transferred.

Slowly, they all bring out their pocketknives. She grasps onto the small one-year-old child in her arms, holds his head as if it would protect him from all the wrong in the world. They step closer and raise their knives while saying profane words. She holds on tighter to the sobbing child and begins whispering, praying for help. She closes her eyes and waits for the pain to come. Suddenly the loud cursing is reduced to humble whispers. No pain. She opens her eyes and sees the answer to her prayers.

It is in the form of a blonde bartender.

* * *

"Transferred? Where?"

"Ikebukuro..."

"What! What are you going to do about Hikaru? That's too far! I cant babysit him there—"

The light brown haired girl continues ranting on. She doesn't realize that her best friend, a burgundy haired girl, is too lost in her thoughts to listen to her. The redhead rises from her best-friend's bed and slowly walks around the apartment.

The walls are ivory with white trim. Her windows are framed with cascading white and ivory curtains. The bed matches the rest of the room with the furniture being white.

_What will I do? I can't take care of Hikaru, but neither can Maiko._ Akemi thinks to herself as she twirls a red strand of hair around her finger.

"Maiko." Akemi's small voice interrupts the lecture.

"Hm?"

"I'll take Hikaru with me to Ikebukuro." She whispers.

"Akemi...You can't—"

"I know what I'm doing, Maiko. Please trust me..."

Worried chocolate brown eyes meet thoughtful lime green.

"Akemi," Maiko takes her friend's hand in hers. "If you need anything...anything, I'll be there for you. OK?"

Maiko wraps her arms around Akemi's slender shoulders. Silence ensues with small breaks from sobs and hiccups.

"Thank you." Akemi hugs her friend. "I think...I should...be going now."

Maiko slowly releases her grasp and turns to help her best friend prepare. It is not long before Akemi has her few belongings ready to go. It isn't much; most of her items belonged to her mother before she died. Her brother, Hikaru, is all Akemi has left besides her father.

Akemi and Hikaru's father wasn't always a bad man. He loved them and spoiled them with many treats and prizes. Their mother's death in that fateful car accident, however, changed their father greatly. He became an alcoholic and neglected Hikaru, who was only two months old. Akemi was twenty years old and attending college. Her life was going great until she realized how poorly Hikaru was being treated. She visited her father one day then ran away with Hikaru and her mother's possessions. She hasn't seen her father since.

After that day, Akemi was having trouble keeping jobs. Her rents were piling up, and often times she had to spend the nights at Maiko's apartment. Maiko insisted she live with her, but Akemi would refuse. "I don't want to be a burden" she would reply. Maiko now hopes Akemi can manage all that is coming to her in the near future.

Both girls exit the apartment building and step onto the bustling sidewalk. The sun shines down as nice cold breezes brush against their faces. A coach is parked on the side of the street with people loading onto it. Maiko turns to Akemi who is holding Hikaru.

Maiko kisses Hikaru's forehead. "Be good to your sister, okay?"

"Akemi, I still don't understand why you need to leave so far," Maiko hugs her, "but good luck...I'll miss you..."

"Thank you, I'll miss you too."

Akemi lets go of Maiko and gets into the bus with Hikaru. She shuffles along the aisle and sits in a seat in the back. The bus doesn't leave right away as there are still people loading on. The redhead looks back through the window towards her friend. She slowly presses her hand onto the glass as if she can reach out and grab the small pale hand that belongs to her best friend.

With a loud roar, the bus comes to life and begins pulling away from the side of the street. Maiko's form shrinks from the distance. Akemi closes her eyes as she clutches onto her chest.  
"You'll always be in my heart...Maiko."

The bus pulls away from the sidewalk and begins its long journey. Akemi can barely sleep during the bus's travel, and it isn't because she's uncomfortable, it's nerves. Hikaru, on the other hand, is blissfully drooling away on Akemi's arm as he dreams innocently. Akemi doesn't know the exact reason for being transferred so far. Her home is Sapporo, hundreds miles from her destination. The bus is nearing the end of its travel, the passengers now need to get on a ferry to enter Japan's main island. _Here we go..._ Akemi sighs.

* * *

It is a slightly cold day outside; the sun is still out as the day nears evening. Tired and sleepy, Akemi stands outside of her apartment building, eyeing it with scrutiny. The building is old, very old. I hope it's better inside, Akemi shuffles into the building.

As soon as she steps in, a strong odor meets her nose. She scrunches up her face and almost gags. Already the lobby is worse. Akemi quickly gets her key and stumbles up the stairs, through the hallway, and to her room.

"Apartment number 23..."

Akemi stops in front of her room, holding Hikaru in one arm and a rolling suitcase with the other. She hesitates before she opens the door; yes, the room is much worse (not to mention the smell).

"Hikaru...I hope we'll be okay..."

Hikaru begins to coo and place small pecks on his sister's cheek, innocently telling her that everything will turn out all right soon. Although she only hears gibberish, she knows what he means; she hopes he is right. Suddenly, the phone rings.

"Hello?" Akemi answers.

"Are you Kiyomori Akemi?" a woman asks. The faint sound of gum chewing can be heard.

"Um...yes? Who is this?"

"Don't worry sweetie, I am your new boss's receptionist. You can call me Gina."

"Gina?"

"Yes, Gina. Now, Asanuma-sama wants to meet with you today, as soon as possible. Are you in Ikebukuro yet?"

"Yes, bu—"

"Ah, then it won't be a problem. Here are the instructions, make sure you have a pen and paper out, it can get tricky."

Akemi sets Hikaru down on the worn out mattress and gets a writing utensil out.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Good, first thing's first. Where are you right now?"

* * *

_This is strange. This business is hidden at the end of a road behind an alley...very strange..._ Akemi looks up towards the sky, it is already sunset. _Oh no, I hope the sun doesn't go down by the time I get there._ She clutches on tighter to the red-haired boy in her arms and walks past the massive amounts of people in the street. She doesn't know that she is in the area where the most peculiar of people are found, after all she has never been to Ikebukuro.

Akemi continues onward but soon finds herself lost. She heads down several different ways but ends up at a plaza each time. She doesn't want to ask for directions, but she realizes that she has no other choice.

"A bartender?" Akemi wonders. "That's odd..."

There is indeed a man dressed as a bartender. He easily towers over her and wears purple sunglasses. His hair is blonde and he has a calm yet sour expression on his face. Akemi also notes that he is a bit handsome and may even resemble a certain actor. _Hmm...What was the actor's name again?_ Akemi ponders. Strangely, the blonde bartender is following a man in a suit with dreadlocks and glasses. _Very odd...but they look like they know the place._ Akemi approaches them from the back.

"Excuse me..." Akemi speaks so quietly that only the bartender turns around, and that is because she lightly tapped his shoulder.

"Hm?" he is smoking.

"Um..." Akemi tries to wave away some of the puff of smoke from Hikaru. The bartender notices this.

"Oh." he puts away his cigarette.

"I hope I'm not bothering...but could you please tell me where Kita Street is?"

_She's not from here, huh._ Shizuo notices the frailty of the peculiar woman standing in front of him. She is about a head shorter than him and wears an ivory, fashionable coat with large buttons. She has a green spaghetti strap dress and ivory kitten heels, but the thing that sticks out the most is her hair. Burgundy bangs frame her fair face and cascading waves and curls go down her back reaching her mid-thighs. Her eyes are a very light, innocent shade of green. The child in her arms is very similar too. The boy has the same shade of green eyes but curlier hair than the woman that also frames his beautiful infant face.

"Daddy," Hikaru says while pointing a tiny finger at Shizuo.

"Huh!" Shizuo is taken aback. "What!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I don't know what he's thinking," Akemi frantically apologizes.

"Daddy!" Hikaru begins to reach for Shizuo. "Daddy!"

"No Hikaru, he's not Dad!" Akemi struggles to keep the strong one-year-old away from Shizuo. "Hikaru! Behave! Listen to your sister!"

_Sister? I thought she was the mother._ Shizuo wonders.

"Daddy..." Hikaru begins sobbing. He doesn't persist anymore, just buries his face into Akemi's neck.

"I'm so sorry about tha—"

"Now I definitely know you're not from here." Shizuo silences her by raising his hand. "People from Ikebukuro don't normally apologize this much. What's your name?"

"K-kiyomori Akemi, and this is Hikaru."

"I'm Heiwajima Shizuo, so where were you headed again?"

Shizuo continues in telling Akemi the directions to Kita Street. At this time the man with the dreadlocks returns.

"Shizuo, we should get going."

"Uh, yes Tom-san." Shizuo turns back to Akemi. "Be careful in this street. Some gangs like to hang out there. I would suggest waiting for a group of people to pass, that way you're not all alone."

"T-thank y-you, H-heiwajima-san." Now Akemi is officially afraid. She slowly turns to begin her small journey.

"I have a bad feeling something bad is going to happen in Kita Street tonight." Shizuo whispers as he puts a cigarette to his lips.

* * *

Akemi continues quickly towards Kita Street. _Damn it, it's really dark now..._ Akemi sighs. She waits at a street-corner for an opportunity to cross when she sees a red-eyed man speaking to a blue-eyed teenager. The man is speaking loudly while gesturing to the world. Then, suddenly, the man swings around from being in front of the boy to being behind him. _Why are they speaking in the middle of the street?_ Akemi wonders. _And what is that?_

A red object of some sort zooms from the sky and crashes right in front of the boy. It bounces a few times and then finally lands near the entrance of a building. The blue-eyed boy is horrified, however the red-eyed man simply smirks. _He's...SMILING!_

Akemi looks toward the direction where the vending machine came from and sees yet another surprising thing. _I've seen him before...but where? Blonde. Bartender clothes. Sunglasses. He's holding a giant street lamp...how in the hell? Wait...Heiwajima! Heiwajima Shizuo!_ Akemi gasps.

"He's...strong." Akemi blinks her eyes in surprise.

"Daddy!" Hikaru squeals in delight and points towards Shizuo. "Daddy!"

Shizuo stomps toward the man and the boy, obviously angry, and still holding the lamp as if it is a stick.

"I-za-ya!" growls Shizuo.

"Looks like it's about time for me to go!~" the man, Izaya, waves toward the boy and runs. "Well then, good luck, Tanaka Tarou-kun!"

"Flea!" screams Shizuo. "Get back here! I-ZA-YA!"

Shizuo runs after Izaya while screaming bloody murder. Akemi deeply sighs and looks at the boy. Suddenly, her "motherly" instincts kick in and she decides to check up on the boy.

"Excuse me." Akemi kindly speaks to the boy. "Are you okay? That was a close one."

"Eh?" the boy suddenly looks nervous. "Yes, thank you."

"Is Ikebukuro always like this?"

The boy looks at her with a puzzled expression.

"Sorry, I'm new here." Akemi informs him. "I'm Kiyomori Akemi and this is Hikaru."

"I'm Ryuugamine Mikado." he seems slightly more comfortable. "I suppose it is always like this. I mean, I'm still a bit new here too."

"Well," Akemi turns to leave. "I should get going. It was nice meeting you, Ryuugamine Mikado-san!"

"I-it was nice meeting you, too!"

_This city...is so strange...I hope Hikaru can live a safe life here..._ Akemi closes her eyes in thought as she walks toward her destination.

She opens her eyes and notices that Shizuo and Izaya went down the same direction she is headed. _Shizuo...you're so odd...I wonder where you get that strength!

* * *

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**Thanks for reading! This is technically my second fanfic, but it's the first one that I publish so I'm pretty nervous right now. My writing isn't the greatest so please be discreet. Thanks again!**_  
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	2. Daddy?

**Thank you so much for the review, amourdesoi! Here's chapter 2.**

**Again, the OCs are mine, Durarara! isn't.

* * *

**"Daddy. Daddy. Daddy." Hikaru continues to happily repeat the same word. " Daddy. Daddy. Daddy."

Akemi thinks she is going to snap any second. "Hikaru, that's enough. Dad isn't here."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, he's not here..."

Akemi looks down Kita Street. _Oh no...there's no way I'm going through here!_ Akemi steps back. The street is very dark and is obviously the territory of some gang. Graffiti covers the walls of a building. There are several men smirking toward Akemi, which makes her shiver in fear. There are even scantily dressed women that are smoking.

She looks around but doesn't see anyone that seem like they are going to pass through. She gulps and steps forward. _Hopefully they leave me alone. Oh, I shouldn't have worn Mom's favorite coat! It makes me look like I have money!_ Akemi begins to panic.

"Everything will be okay." Akemi whispers to herself as she walks down Kita Street.

She manages to pass by several groups of men and women, and even sees the building. Oddly, the building looks very sophisticated considering it's location. Akemi feels slightly better being closer but her happiness falls when she sees a group of men approaching her. Several women that were with the men are now cackling and waving at her.

"Hey there sexy!" one of the gross men catcalls. "Wanna hang with us?"

Akemi begins to walk faster, hoping to evade them. However, two men now block her way. Akemi grips on tighter to Hikaru and starts to inch towards the wall of a building.

"C'mon, stay and hang will ya?"

Akemi gulps and looks around for an opening. She finds one, however, it leads into an alley. _If it's the only way out of here, I'll take it!_ She quickly slips out and runs down the alley.

"Hey!" one of the men screams. Another tries to grab her but misses.

_Please, please! Somebody! Save us!_ Akemi is now crying. She runs down the alley and finds that it split into two different directions. She takes the one to the right but runs into a dead-end. _No! No, please!_ She looks behind her and sees that the other side has a dead-end also. She crouches down to the ground and clings onto Hikaru, sobbing.

"She went to the right!"

"Either way she's fucked! Ha!"

Akemi doesn't know what else to do. She takes in a deep breath and screams at the top of her lungs. It frightens Hikaru, who begins to wail and cry.

"HELP ME!" screams Akemi. "HELP!"

"Shit, shut the fuck up!" one of the men yells.

"HELP!" Akemi screams as she slowly stands up. She turns and faces the wall to protect Hikaru. No help came.

"Jackpot." whispers one of the men.

Slowly, they all bring out their pocketknives. She grasps onto the small one-year-old child in her arms, holds his head as if it would protect him from all the wrong in the world. They step closer and raise their knives while saying profane words. She holds on tighter to the sobbing child and begins whispering, praying for help. She closes her eyes and waits for the pain to come. Suddenly the loud cursing is reduced to humble whispers. No pain. She opens her eyes and sees the answer to her prayers. _Shizuo…_

"I was chasing Izaya when I heard some commotion coming from here." Shizuo explains in a bored tone. "I hope I didn't _spoil_ anything."

"Hey blondie, you best get your ass!" one of the men starts but is stopped by another man.

"S-shut the h-hell up man!" the other man stutters. "T-that's H-heiwajima!"

"H-heiwajima." the first man understands and immediately has the same expression of fear on his face.

Shizuo isn't surprised at their reaction; he's seen it many times before. He looks behind them and sees a woman and a child. Burgundy hair and light green eyes_._ Shizuo notices their tear stained faces and fear-filled eyes. That makes him angry.

"Cornering a poor woman and a child in an alley," Shizuo snarls at the men. "really ticks me off."

He is about to attack when he notices their pocketknives. One man still has his pointed towards Akemi. That does it, now he's pissed. He grabs his cigarette, snaps it in half, then crushes it under his foot. The men become horrified at hearing his growl.

"BASTARDS!" Shizuo roars as he picks a dumpster up with ease. The men scream and run out of the alley but they don't make it far; Shizuo pummeled them with the dumpster.

Akemi slumps down to ground, Hikaru isn't crying anymore, just sniveling. Akemi feels like she is going to have a heart attack at any second; She is petrified. Shizuo returns and crouches down to be face-to-face with her.

"Are you okay?" Shizuo asks.

Akemi doesn't answer. Her mind doesn't seem to be with her at the moment, but Hikaru uses this opportunity to grab onto Shizuo.

"Eh?" Shizuo is surprised at this and holds onto Hikaru so that he wouldn't fall.

"Daddy." sobbed Hikaru as he buries his face into Shizuo's neck.

"Thank you," whispers Akemi. "thank you...so much."

She covers her face with her hands and begins to cry. Shizuo doesn't know what to say, instead he just puts his hand on her shoulder.

"What were you doing here?" Shizuo asks.

Akemi raises her head and looks at him. She doesn't answer him right away, just continues to stare at him. _He really is indeed handsome._ she notes. Shizuo realizes she is staring at him and looks away.

"Well," Akemi whispers. "honestly, I was going to talk to my boss."

"I," Shizuo feels awkward. "I should go with you. You know, just in case…"

_Wait, what am I doing? I have a job to do, but...what if she gets into trouble again?_ Shizuo can't fight the small urge to protect this woman.

"Thank you, Shizuo-san."

* * *

"How terrible! I will do something about this, don't you worry Akemi-chan! No gang will dare to lay one eye on you after I'm through with them!"

Akemi sits in a very comfortable chair in front of Mr. Asanuma Shigeru's desk. _He's...interesting._

Shigeru is obviously a very handsome man. He wears a very expensive coat and slacks. His hair is long and a light shade of brown, and his eyes are baby blue. Women would kill for him. His office is on the top floor and very extravagant. The walls are black with many black and white paintings and other décor. Behind his desk is a magnificent view of the city.

Shizuo stands behind Akemi's chair and has a sour look on his face. He doesn't like Shigeru. He never has, and now he knows that he is going to be Akemi's boss. Shigeru pushes a button on his desk.

"Yes, sir." a woman answers. "what do you need?"

"Gina," Shigeru says. "take action against the gang near our business. One of our employees was attacked and I DO NOT want it to happen again."

"Understood."

"Thank you, Gina. Oh, and when you're done, bring two cappuccinos to my office," Shigeru looks up and sees Shizuo; He doesn't like him either, "make that three..."

"Daddy." Hikaru is playing with Shizuo's vest.

"Hikaru, please sit down." Akemi pulls Hikaru back to her lap.

"Ahh, his name his Hikaru," Shigeru asks. "I love children."

Shigeru begins to twiddle his finger at Hikaru who grabs onto it. Although they just met, Hikaru doesn't like Shigeru and bites him. Shigeru yelps and pulls his hand away while glaring at Hikaru. Shizuo smirks.

"Sir," Akemi asks. "when do I start?"

"Tomorrow, but it's understandable if you can't make it. Seeing as you need to take care of...Hikaru-kun, right?"

Shigeru tries to smile at the child. Hikaru glares at him and sticks his tongue out. Shizuo hides his laughter by pretending to cough.

"What is going to be my position?" Akemi asks. She notices Hikaru's strange behavior toward Shigeru. _He normally doesn't act like this._ Akemi thinks.

"Ah, well I think you have much potential so I promoted you to be my personal assistant."

Shizuo glares at him. _Sure, it's only because he "likes" her._ Shizuo's face forms into a scowl.

"Really?" Akemi brightens up. "What will I do?"

"Well, you're going to be a sort of receptionist but the plus is that you get to travel all of Japan and represent me at certain meetings and whatnot."

"That sounds great!"

Shizuo decides to focus his attention on something else; This man is getting him angry. Just when Shizuo thought he was going to snap, the door opens.

"Cappuccino!~" Gina sings as she walks in with the tray of glasses. Even the cappuccino is fancy. She sets the drinks down and turns to Akemi.

"Ah!" Gina shakes Akemi's hand. "Akemi, I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Gina—Oh my! Who's this cutie-pie!~"

Gina begins making puppy faces at Hikaru. He likes her much more than Shigeru. Gina, oddly, has her short, bob hair dyed silver-white, and wears white makeup and black-rimmed glasses. Her clothes consist of a short-sleeve white blouse, a black vest, a black short skirt and black high heels. Overall, she looks like she should be on a runway of a fashion show of secretaries.

"Eee! He's so adorable!~" exclaims Gina. "Can I take him to my office? Please?"

"Um," Akemi thinks about it, "sure, why not."

Gina squeals and bounces out of the room, holding onto a giggling Hikaru. Awkward silence follows. Shigeru glares at Shizuo, obviously wanting to be alone with Akemi. Shizuo is actually enjoying making him angry and simply smiles back, angering Shigeru further.

"Well," Shizuo sighs. "I have to get going…"

"Um..." Akemi follows. "I guess it's getting late…"

"Wait!" Shigeru tries to say something to make Akemi stay. "Can't you stay a bit longer? I still want to discuss job details with you."

_That asshole._ Shizuo's eyebrow begins to twitch. Shizuo decides to leave before he breaks something. Akemi wants to leave with Shizuo; She is too afraid to go down that street alone again.

"I'm sorry, Asanuma-sama, but I should get Hikaru to bed now. It's been a really tiring day."

"Oh," Shigeru is obviously disappointed. "well, I hope to see you soon, lovely Akemi."

At that, he makes an extravagant bow while holding Akemi's hand. _Calm...down...Shizuo..._ Shizuo's eyebrow is still twitching and his arms are shaking. _He's such an obnoxious jerk! Akemi doesn't know what he's really like!_

Akemi on the other hand is enjoying the attention.

"Oh!" Akemi gasps. "I-I should get Hikaru. Thank you so much, Asanuma-sama."

Shizuo grumbles and steps out of the room. Akemi heads towards Gina's desk, which is situated in the small lobby in front of Shigeru's office.

"Aw..." Gina pouts as she held onto Hikaru. "Time to go already. I'll miss you Hika-kun!"

She plants wet smooches onto Hikaru's cheeks. He doesn't seem bothered, in fact, he is giggling.

"Let's go, Hikaru." Akemi picks him up. She notices that Shizuo is waiting for her. Shizuo clearly wants to leave as he has more of a sour face on. Akemi walks up to him.

"Are you okay, Shizuo-san?"

"Hmph, yeah."

Shizuo quickly turns around and heads into the elevator. Akemi follows. Hikaru is having trouble keeping his eyes open. He doesn't want to see Shizuo leave yet. Shizuo and Akemi exit the building and now make their way through the same street where she was attacked not too long ago. She is still afraid of the area even though Shizuo is with her. He notices.

"It's okay." Shizuo assures her. "Nobody can hurt you. I'm here."

Akemi feels a pang in her chest. _That's what __**he **__said..._ Akemi starts to feel tears forming. She suddenly remembers her ex-boyfriend, Takeshi Izo. They dated for a long time while Akemi was attending college. He was everything she wanted in a man: kind, brave, selfless, and handsome. Until Izo discovered the magic of drinking, she was in love. Izo became violent when he drank, beating her and telling her vulgar things. Akemi hoped that he would snap out of his habit and stayed with him. She left him around the same time she ran away with Hikaru. She still felt pain in her heart every time she thought about him. _Alcohol...just like Dad..._

Shizuo and Akemi soon find themselves walking down the road where she saw him swinging a large lamppost around. Akemi also remembers how he held a dumpster in the alley.

"Shizuo-san?"

"Hm?"

Akemi is silent for a moment. "How...did you get so...so..."

"...Scary? Monstrous?"

"Strong! How? You held the dumpster like if it was a cardboard box! It was...it was..."

Shizuo stops and turns around. He is a bit surprised at hearing her even though he's been told he's strong before.

"It was...amazing!" Akemi's eyes brighten. "You're amazing, Shizuo-san! You saved us, and without straining yourself either! I am so grateful, Shizuo-san."

Shizuo is a bit shocked. _Is she...admiring my strength?_ Shizuo is clearly having trouble comprehending. Akemi smiles at him, which causes him to slightly blush. Shizuo turns around and is about to continue walking when Akemi softly grabs his arm.

"Shizuo-san, you're not a monster. You're nowhere near."

"Uh..." Shizuo doesn't know what to say. "Thank you, and please just call me Shizuo. The suffix is a bit too much for me."

"Yes...Shizuo...-kun."

_She still added a suffix..._ Shizuo mentally face-palmed.

Shizuo and Akemi continue on towards her shabby excuse for an apartment. Shizuo finds her to be quite interesting, and vise-a-versa.

"Shizuo-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Who's that man you were with earlier? The one with the dreadlocks?"

"Oh, that's my employer."

"What's his name?"

"Tom. Tanaka Tom."

"That's nice. What do you work as, Shizuo-kun?"

"I'm Tom's bodyguard."

"Really? Is he one of those rich men that hire bodyguards?"

"Um, no. He's a debt collector."

"Oh." Akemi giggles.

"What is it?"

"Well, I've never heard of a debt collector hiring a bodyguard. His work must be dangerous."

"Somewhat." _I'm probably the one who makes it dangerous._

Eventually, the pair reach the apartment complex. Shizuo immediately notices the horrible condition the building is in. _Is this where she lives? It's filthy._

"It's not the greatest." Akemi humbly states. "I-it's all I can afford."

Quietly, Akemi steps into the lobby. The paint on the walls is coming off, revealing cement. The floor looks terrible; stains and torn carpet fill the room. A small desk is situated on the far edge of the small room. A man, asleep, sits in the desk.

Slowly, Akemi makes her way up the stairs toward her room. Out of curiosity, Shizuo follows her. When they finally make it to her room, Akemi stops and faces him.

"Shizuo-kun," Akemi says with a sad smile. "Tou've been so kind to us. I don't know how to repay you."

"Don't worry about it." Shizuo smiles back at her, although it is small Akemi knows it is a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Shizuo-kun."

At that, Akemi turns and opens the door to her room. Shizuo almost feels like punching something. _This is what a suffering poor woman and a child are condemned to?_ Shizuo can't even begin describing it. Arguably, the room is even worse than the lobby, if that is even possible.

"I-I know, it's t-terrible!" Akemi's voice cracks as she begins to weep. "H-how I wish I d-didn't have t-to put H-hikaru through t-this! H-he deserves b-better!"

Shizuo suddenly feels very uncomfortable. _Should I console her? I'm not really good at these things..._

"Akemi." Shizuo puts his hand on her shoulder. "You're trying your best. Hikaru loves you no matter what."

"T-thank you, Shizuo-kun." Akemi half-smiles.

"Well, I should really get going." Shizuo exits the room.

"Shizuo!" Akemi quickly bounced out. "Will I ever see you again?"

Shizuo stops in his tracks and slowly turns around. "Maybe."

"I-I hope so!" Akemi doesn't realize that there is a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Good night, Shizuo-kun!"

She quickly reenters the room and closes the door. Unknown to her, the surprised and red-faced blonde man doesn't leave right away. It isn't that he doesn't want to leave right away, more like he can't. He is too busy trying to comprehend if she meant what she said.

His thoughts: "She actually _hopes _to see me again…why?"

* * *

**There it is. Hopefully I didn't make Shizuo too OOC. Thanks for reading!**


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